Agitator for washing machines



Aug. 20, 1940. r. J. LITLE. JR- ,3

AGITATQR 'FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed Nov. 1, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet IHVEHTDR Tia/mas J LITZEJR.

BY Mam AT! QRHEYS Aug. 20, 1940-.

1'. J. urns, JR AGI'IATOB FOR \ymsnme mc'umzs F116;! Nov. 1, 19372Slieets-Sheot 2 v '4 IHvEn uR FMMSJLITL JR T'DEEEYS Patented Aug. 20,1940 UNITED. STATES aerra'roa ro'a wasnme moms Thomas J. Litle, In,Syracuse, N. Y., aasignor to Easy Washing Machine Corporation, Syracuse,N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application November 1, 1937, SerialNo. 172,124

1 Claim. (01. 68134) My invention relates to washing machines and moreparticularly to a novel washing machine agitator construction of thegeneral type shown in my copending applications Serial Nos. 137,999,

5 April 20, 1937, and 167,795, illed October 7,

The agitating element or dolly, as it is sometimes called, of a washingmachine, has been commonly in the commercial art made of alloys ofaluminum. Attempts have been made to use other less expensive metals andsuitably treat them against the corrosive action of the washin fluid,but these have generally not been successful. Thecommercial art has,almost without exception, employed relatively expensive aluminum alloys.

Aluminum, although it is the best material now known, has numerousdisadvantages; Because it is rather soft, means are usually emp oy t0 toharden the surface of the aluminum casting. One of these methods iscalled anodizing, which is an electrolytic process of providing thecasting with a hard and resistant surface. This process of treatment,while it effectively makes the agi- 25 tator more resistant to. thecorrosive action of the' washing fluid, and more resistant to wear,provides the agitator with an abrasive surface which has a deleteriousabrasive action on the clothes being washed. Moreover, the surface ofthe agito tor, primarily due'to corrosion, becomes pitted in use whichincreases the abrasive action of the agitator.

A further serious disadvantage ofthe use of aluminum is the fact that itis rather expensive,

as particularly at the present time, its cost'having more than tripledin the past three years. In

addition, after long use the blades become thin and worn as a result ofthe continued action of the blades upon the clothes being washed, andthe 40 corrosive action of the washing fluid. Moreover, the bladespresent a harsh. metallic surface to the clothes which has i'nJuriouseffects upon them. The clothes are struck by the rigid nonyieldingblades of the agitator, and this. together 45 with the cutting action ofthe relatively sharp edges of the blades causes considerable wear on theclothes. This excessive wear on the clothes is evidenced by the lintappearing on the bottom of the vat after the washing-action of the usual50 agitator is completed and the clothes have been removed from the vat.I have found that the foregoing objections to an aluminum alloy 88 tatormay be largely eliminated by the method and means of my invention.

II An object of my invention is to provide an agitator for a washingmachinewhich may be manufactured at a reasonable cost.

Another object of my invention is to provide an agitator made of suchmaterials that the agitator when operated in a vat containing clothesand washing fluid presents a smooth non-abrasive surface to the clotheswhich is long-wearing and which does not become rough or pitted in use.

My invention further contemplates the provision of an agitator which maybe made of inexpensive materials, as compard to the aluminumdie-castings now commonly employed in the manufacture of washing machineagitators, and which may be fabricated at a small cost.

More specifically, my invention contemplates improvements in agitatorconstructions of the general type disclosed in the above mentionedcopending applications, wherein means are pro-- vided for reenforcingthe blades of the agitators of said applications without increasing thecost of fabrication appreciably and while still enabling the use ofinexpensive materials.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be more apparent fromthe following description when taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical view, partly in section, showing an embodiment ofmy invention.

Figure 2 is a view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2. showing a. modificationof the agiator of Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a view showing another embodiment of my invention. 86

Figure 5 is a view taken on the line H of F ure 4.

Figure 6 is a view similar to that of Figure 5 showing the method ofattaching a metal plate as the blade reenforcing element to the mainsupporting rods of the agitator.

Figure 7 is a view showing another embodiment of my invention.

Figure 8 is a sectional view of the agitator of 5 Figure 7 andillustrating the method by which the supporting-rods and thereenforcingplate are centered in. the mold during the molding oper-'ation.

Figure 9 is a view showing one method by which the reenfo'rcing plate ofthe agitator of Figure 7 may be operatively secured to the supportingrods.

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9 showing another way in which thesupporting plate of g Y the agitator of Figure 7 maybe operativelysecured to the supporting rods.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of a portion of the reenforcing plate ofthe structure of Figure 10.

. Figurel2 shows an alternative way in which the supporting rods of thestructure of Figure .8

may be centered in the mold.

Figure 13 is a view similar toFigure l2showing another alternative wayin which the supporting rod may be formed in the mold.

Figure 14 is a view showing still mother way in which the supportingrods of the structure of Figure 8 may be centered in the mold.

Figure 15 is a top plan of the structure of Figare 14 with one-half ofthe mold removed.

As. shown in the above mentioned copending applications, the agitator ofmy invention is adapted to be mounted in a vat or tub in which washingfluid and the clothes to be washed are placed. Since the vat and themanner in which the agitator is driven do not constitute a part of mypresent invention; it is sufiicient to state that the agitator ismounted in the vat and driven generally in the manner described in theabove mentioned copending applications.

In one embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, a tubeor column ll of rela-- tively thin sheet metal is provided. The tube hasan inwardly turned flange, as indicated at l2, which is secured to a capit into which'the drive shaft (not shown) extends. The tube ispreferably formed in three parts i4, i5 and i8,

' the vertical ends of which are bent outward and the three parts weldedinto an integral unit, as indicated at H. One vertical end of eachsection of the tube is extended outward radially from the axis of thetube to form an agitator blade reenforcing plate i8. Preferably, thereenforcing plate i8 is corrugated as shown in the drawings. The tubeii, together with .the corrugated reenforcing plates is, form a frameupon,

blades of the agitator, while relatively stifl, dueto the sheetmetalreenforcement, exert a soft yielding action on the clothes by reason ofthe fact that the blades present a resilient rubbery surface to theclothes.

In the alternative form of the agitator of my invention shown in Figure3, the tube II is made in on" piece to which is welded blade reenforcingplates 22, as indicated at 22. The outer ends of the blade reenforcingplates 22 are curved outward, as indicated at 24. At the pointof'tangency of the curved portion of each of the plates 22, as'indicatedat 26, a second blade reenforcing plate 25 is welded which extendsinward to the tube ii and is welded at the point of tangency to thetube, as indicated at 21. On the sheet metal form'thus provided, theremay be molded a preferably rubber surface coating 20, although othermoldable materials may be used. Preferably, the mold is provided withcorrugations so that the blade surface is corrugated, as indicated at29. Due to the curvature of the portions 24 of the reenforcing' plates22, the outer ends of the blades are hooked so that when the agitator isoscillated in a vat containing clothes and washing fluid, 'the clothestend to flow in one circulatory direction around the vat. Forconvenience in molding the agitator, a three-part mold should be used asdescribed in Geldhof Patent No. 2,094,559 issued September 28, 1.937.

. In the modification shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, the blade isformed by bending a metal rod 32 to form a skeletal frame in the mannerdescribed in the above mentioned copending-applications. The metal rodmay be supported by locking the ends 33 thereof in a hub or cap, asdescribed in said applications, after the metal rod has been bent to thedesired shape. {The metal of the rod, at its inner edges, is upset atspaced points to form ears or anchoring projections 3|. Apertures 36, asindicated in Figure 5, may then be provided in .the ears for thereception of relatively small gauge steel wire 3'! which is laced back-and forth between the sides of the skeletal frame formed by therods32." A'semimesh structure support by the skeletal frame is thus formed,over the whole ofwhich may be' molded preferably rubber or othersuitable moldable material,-as indicated'at 28. The agitator blade thusformed maybe fabricated at a very reasonable cost and while the surfaceof the rubber is soft ,and' pliant and .does not exert a harsh action onthe clothes at'the' same time, due to the relatively stiff skeletalframe and the. cross lacing of wire, the; blade 'surface is relatively'stifl? and non-yielding.

In Figure 7, I have shown a modification. of the structure shown-inFigure 4 wherein, instead of providing a lacing oflwire, a reenforcingplate 4| is used. The reenforcing plate is preferably apertured, asindicated at 42, so that the rubber Y extends through the apertures onopposite sides of the reenforcing plate, the whole being thereby bondedtogether into an integral unit. The plate may .be spot welded to ,e'ars34 formed on the supporting rods as indicated at 39 in Figure 6.

However, welding the plate to ears formed on the supporting rods isunnecessary. In Figure 8,

I have indicated the method by which the blade may be made and themethod by which the plate A and the rods 82 may be centered in the mold.

The two halves of the mold are designated by the numerals 43 and 44. Themetal rods 32 are centered in the mold by drilling holes through therods at several points, and extending through the apertures rubberspacing pins 46 which project an equal distance on opposite sides of therod. The plate 4i may be placed loosely in the mold and spaced thereinby means of rubber plugs 4! which extend through apertures formed in themetal plate and engage the opposite'side of the mold as indicated at 48.After the parts are centered and in position and the mold closed,

the rubber may be poured in the mold and cured under heat and pressure.The blades may be molded by placing a sheet of semi-cured rubber in themold, then placing the metal rod and perforated reenforcing sheet in themold, and then placing a second sheet of semi-cured rubber over them.The molding may then be closed and heat applied and the rubber curedunder pressure.

While in the above described construction, the

reenforcing plate is not rigidly secured to the metal rods; after therubber. has been molded around the frame formed by the metal rods andthe reenforcing plate, an integral rubber blade unit is iormed whichpresents a resilient pliant surface to the clothes but which is at thesame time relatively stiff and rigid.

If desired, as indicated in Figures 9 and 10, the plate 4! need not beapertured and, as shown in those figures, the plate may be operativelyse-, cured to or braced against the rod by turning the ends of the platearound the rod, as indicated .at 5| in Figure 9. In Figure 11, I haveshown a perspective view of a portion of the reenforcing plate used inthe blade structure of Figure 10, wherein the plate is slitted to formwings 53 which are then bent alternately in opposite sides of the centerline so that the plate may be locked in position against the rods, asshown at 54 in Figure 10.

In Figure 12, I have shown an alternative way of centering the metalrods in the mold which consists of boring slightly into the red atvarious points, as indicated at 56, from each side thereof and insertingin the apertures thus formed rubber plugs 51 which engage the sides ofthe mold and space the rod therefrom. Instead of the structure shown inFigure 12, canvas buttons 58 may be cemented to the surface of the rodson opposite sides thereof at various points along the rod to center therod.

I have shown in Figure 14 another means of spacing or centering the rodsin the mold. Packing rings 6|, split at 62, may be slipped over themetal rod before it is placed in the mold. The

packing rings should be spaced at at least three pointson the rod. Thepacking rings may be of any suitable material as rubber or felt.

It will be apparent that I have provided an agitator blade which may bemade of inexpensive materials, which may be fabricated at a small costand which at the same time provides an outer surface which is of pliantresilient character and adapted to exert a soft yielding action on theclothes. At the same time, I have provided a blade which is relativelystiff and nonyielding.

While I have shown various modifications of my invention and haveindicated various ways in which vtheblade may be molded, it will beapparent that other modifications and arrangements will occur to thoseskilled in the art, and

I desire to include these within the scope of my ,THOMAB'J. IIILE, JR.

